Getback had a visit from Keith Stacey this week, who dropped in while on a visit to his old hometown.

Mr Stacey, 70, now lives in Newquay in Cornwall and has been tracing his family history.

His cousin William Summers, of Caversham, spotted this photograph of their uncle, Les Stacey, which we ran on Friday, July 16, in our Pick of the Past section.

Mr Stacey’s uncle Les was a watchmaker, clockmaker and jeweller who first had a shop in Norcot Road and then a second in School Road, Tilehurst.

He explained Les, who now lives in Basildon and would be in his 90s, had six brothers – Russell, Len, Lionel, Cyril, Eric and Mr Stacey’s father, Denis, who all went to Katesgrove School.

“When we all lived in Reading, we’d all get together – it was such a big family,” said Mr Stacey, who grew up in Prospect Street.

“We used to have Sunday afternoons together, when Granny Stacey would have us all round.

“I was 11 or 12 years old then, and we all used to help out around the house – ‘it’s your turn to cut gran’s grass’ – that kind of thing.

“The elder would always be the head of the family then and I remember Granny sitting in a big chair, wearing her black, Victorian clothes and she’d say ‘come and sit down, tell me what you’ve been doing today’. It would scare you to death!

“They were good old family fun days.”

Mr Stacey often comes back to Reading to visit his sons, Gary, 43, and Matthew, 38, and their families. He says he is often surprised by the changes in the town – especially the traffic.

“I remember the coalman used to come round and drop the coal through the hatch every week, with logs of wood,” he recalls.

“Next thing would be the bread man who would come around with his horse and cart. He used to feed his horse outside our house, and we’d go out and help him put the nosebag on!

“We’d have the milkman come around, and the muffin man on Sunday afternoons.”

Mr Stacey worked in the Evening Post print rooms for 12 years before moving to Cornwall with his late wife, Sue, in 1986, to run a guest house.

“Sue worked on the telephone exchange and we had 20-odd years together,” he says.

“We used to have a lot of inter-departmental games throughout the year, football games, a squash tournament. We organised the New Year’s Eve dance; we’d always have a great time.

“Those were the best days of my working life, it was like one big, happy family.”

Mr Stacey, was a pupil at All Saints Infants School in Brownlow Road, as well as Oxford Road and Battle Schools.

Have any of Mr Stacey’s memories struck a chord with you? If you wish to get in contact with Mr Stacey, or you have some memories you wish to share, write to getback at 8 Tessa Road, Reading, RG1 8NS or emailleigh.mencarini@reading-epost.co.uk